Migrating WooCommerce products from one store to another may seem overwhelming, but it can be much easier than you think. Whether revamping your website, changing hosting providers, or merging several stores, accurately transferring your product data is essential for providing a smooth shopping experience for your customers.
Table of Contents
In this article, we’ll take you through the steps to migrate your products from one store to another using the free version of the Product Import Export for WooCommerce plugin, ensuring that all your data remains intact while saving you time and effort.
This plugin lets you move all your WooCommerce products with just a few clicks. You can export your existing product data into a CSV file and then import it into your new store, ensuring that every detail, from descriptions to images, is transferred correctly.
A Word of Caution
A poorly executed migration can result in missing product details, broken images, lost variations, or incorrect pricing—frustrating both store owners and customers. That’s why choosing the right migration or import/export method is key.
You need a reliable, efficient way to transfer all product data, including SKUs, stock levels, categories, and custom attributes, without downtime. For example – a good export/import plugin.
Besides the above, you also need a safe staging ground to try your chosen plugin/method before actually deploying it on your live site. With InstaWP, you can set up a temporary staging environment to test your migration before making it live. This ensures that your new store is fully functional before customers interact with it.
Exporting WooCommerce Products
To begin migrating your WooCommerce store products, you need to export them into a CSV file. The free Product Import Export for WooCommerce plugin can help you with this task. This plugin makes it simple to export your WooCommerce store products, generating a CSV file ready for import into another store.
Let’s go through the step-by-step process for exporting WooCommerce products using the Product Import Export for WooCommerce plugin.
Step 1: Install WebToffee Product Import Export Plugin
The initial step in exporting WooCommerce products with the plugin is to install and activate it. The WooCommerce Product Import and Export plugin is a free and easy-to-use tool that you can find in the WordPress plugin directory. Let’s go through the process of getting started!
For this, login to your WordPress dashboard
- Navigate to Plugins > Add New Plugin.
- Search for “Product Import Export for WooCommerce” plugin.
- Install and Activate the plugin.
Step 2: Select Product as Post Type
Once the plugin is installed,
- Go to WebToffee Import Export (Basic) > Export.
- Choose the post type to export as Product.
- Click the Select an export method button to proceed to the next step.
Step 3: Select an Export Method
The plugin provides two ways to export your WooCommerce products: Quick Export and Advanced Export.
- Quick Export: This is the quickest method to export all your products and their key fields. You can complete the export process with a single click, making it very easy.
- Advanced Export: This option is perfect for you if you require more customization. It lets you choose specific products or fields to include in your export file. With options for filtering, column selection, and advanced settings, you can customize the export to fit your precise needs.
Select the method that best suits you and your store’s requirements!
Step 3: Filter Export Data
In this step, you can apply various filter options to determine the data you want to export. Several choices are available, including setting a limit on the number of products, excluding the first few products, or exporting particular products according to their categories and tags.
After you have chosen your desired configuration, move on to the next step.
Step 4: Map & Reorder Columns
Here,
- Choose which product data columns you want to export.
- Specify the names of these columns in the CSV file.
- Rearrange the column positions using the drag-and-drop icons.
Once selected, you can proceed to the next step.
Step 5: Export Products
This is the final step in exporting your WooCommerce products. Here,
- Select a batch size. This determines how many records the server will process in each iteration during the specified timeout period. This setting helps manage the number of products exported at a time.
- Next, choose a delimiter from the dropdown menu. This separator helps distinguish between columns in the CSV file.
- Click Export.
A pop-up window will show up with a Download File button. Click this button to save the exported CSV file to your computer. The file will contain all the products and columns that fit your chosen criteria.
Importing WooCommerce Products
The next step in the migration process is to import the products you just exported into your new WooCommerce store. You can utilize the same Product Import Export for WooCommerce plugin to seamlessly import your products into the same store or a different one.
Before you begin, ensure your CSV file is encoded in UTF-8 format to facilitate a smooth and accurate import process.
Follow the below steps to import products to WooCommerce using the free WooCommerce product import export plugin.
Step 1: Select Product Post Type for Import
From the WordPress dashboard,
- Go to WebToffee Import Export (Basic) > Import.
- Select Product as the post type.
- Click Select import method.
Step 2: Choose Import Method
Next, select an import method to bring your products into WooCommerce. You have two choices: Quick Import and Advanced Import.
Choose the Quick import option if the exported file was generated using the same plugin. Just upload the file and click Import to transfer your products to the store easily.
Let’s go with the Advanced import method, which has advanced options for more control over the import process. Once selected, upload the input CSV file you have just exported and select a delimiter to separate columns in the CSV file from the drop-down.
Then, click on Map import columns button to proceed.
Step 3: Reorder Columns of Products CSV File
Next, you’ll need to align the columns from your CSV file with the appropriate WooCommerce product fields. The plugin will automatically match the columns if it detects header names in the CSV that correspond to WooCommerce fields.
If the names don’t match perfectly or if you wish to modify any mappings, you can do this by:
- Click on the file columns and choose the correct header name from the drop-down.
- Once you’ve completed this, click the Advanced Options button to finalize the process.
It’s essential to accurately map the product fields and ensure they are formatted correctly. Make sure to double-check that all necessary fields are properly mapped to avoid any errors or problems during the import process.
Proceed to the next step.
Step 4: Configure Advanced Import Options
Next, there are several advanced options for deciding the course of the import.
- Choose whether to skip or proceed with the import of new products.
- Select ID or SKU to match products.
- Skip or Update the existing products in your store.
- Set the number of products to import in a single batch.
Once done, click Import to import your WooCommerce products from a CSV file.
After the import process is finished, all your WooCommerce products and their details will be successfully moved from your old store to the new one. This ensures that your product data is preserved, allowing you to save time and effort when setting up your new store.
There is also a premium version of the WooCommerce Product Import Export plugin that is available. Upgrading to premium gives you access to advanced features, significantly improving your ability to export product data compared to the free version.
Conclusion
Transferring your WooCommerce products can be simple and hassle-free. The WebToffee Product Import Export Plugin for WooCommerce enables you to smoothly move all your product data from one store to another, saving you time and minimizing complications.
Whether changing platforms, redesigning your website, or merging stores, this plugin ensures that your product information is accurately moved. Following the steps outlined in this article, you can confidently migrate your products and return to what matters most: growing your business.
WebToffee provides a range of additional plugins, including WooCommerce Order Import Export and WordPress Users Import Export. These plugins are specifically designed to facilitate the transfer of other important store data, allowing for the smooth and effortless movement of orders and user information between stores.
We trust this article has effectively outlined the process for importing and exporting products. Please feel free to leave your feedback or any questions in the comments. We’re eager to hear from you!